Seeds of Tradition looms large at Exhibit C Gallery

Beadwork has long been a tradition in North American Indigenous cultures. Stones, shells, bones, and quills originally were used to decorate everything from clothing, jewelry, and blankets to tents and horse tack. Later, glass beads arrived with the Europeans who traded them with tribes. Vibrant in color and easy to work with, seed beads became the medium of choice in much beadwork thereafter.

Through June 30, visitors at Exhibit C Gallery in Oklahoma City can behold and buy the stunning works of four contemporary artists at the Seeds of Tradition exhibit.

Andrea Day, a Mvskoke (Muskogee Creek) Nation artist, uses what she calls the Acrybead medium. Painting a canvas with acrylic paint, she then sews on beads and applies them in clusters to create a varied texture in her pieces. Day’s creations are heavily rooted in nature and influenced by Mvskoke language and culture, the Fulswagi (Bird Clan), and the designs of Southeastern Woodland tribes. adayswork.art

Andrea Day, Estonko (How are You?), print with beads

Andrea Day, Fireflies, acrylic on canvas with beads

Yonavea Hawkins is an enrolled member of the Caddo Nation whose heritage also includes the Delaware Nation and Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma. Her work has appeared at shows around Oklahoma and the country, including the Red Earth Festival, Cherokee Art Market, South Eastern Art Show and Market (SEASAM), and the Santa Fe Indian Market. She uses a loom for much of her work or hand stitches pieces directly onto buckskin. yonavea.com

Yonavea Hawkins, Feathers on Grey, beaded cuff

Lynn Traylor is an Arizona-based Navajo artist who specializes in wearable creations that incorporate beadwork. Her father first taught her the art using a loom and the Peyote stitch—an off-loom weaving stitch. After that, she taught herself to flat-stitch beads, also known as bead applique or bead embroidery. Since then, she’s become a bead-fashion wizard of sorts, creating intricately and uniquely embellished hats whose designs tell universal stories. auntiecreations.com

Lynn Traylor, Tree of Life, beaded hat

Lynn Traylor, Faith, beaded hat

Valerie Kagan specializes in “two-point needle applique beadwork and handwoven and twined textiles” to create traditional Cherokee beadwork and art. A Cherokee herself and a U.S. Army veteran, her pieces include moccasins, purses, and bandoliers. She also makes a variety of jewelry and gourd art pieces. Kagan first taught herself to bead at the age of seven, and continues to find inspiration in the beadwork of the Five Tribes, abstract floral designs, mound builder iconography, and fellow artists and teachers. valeriekagan.com

Valerie Kagan, Mounds, beaded purse

Exhibit C Gallery is located at 1 East Sheridan Avenue in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown area, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (405) 767-8900 or exhibitcgallery.com.

Written By

Megan Rossman

Megan Rossman is Oklahoma Today's photography editor.